HC flags poor health infra, orders top officials to visit Melghat as infant malnutrition deaths rise

The Bombay High Court criticized Maharashtra's handling of malnutrition deaths in Melghat, directing officials to assess health infrastructure within two weeks.

MUMBAI: Nearly two weeks after sharply criticising the Maharashtra and Union governments for their “extremely casual” approach to recurring malnutrition deaths in Melghat -a remote, tribal-dominated belt in Amravati district- the Bombay High Court on Monday directed top state officials to visit the region within two weeks and assess its collapsing health infrastructure.

HC flags poor health infra, orders top officials to visit Melghat as infant malnutrition deaths rise

The division bench of justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil issued the directive while hearing PILs on persistent child deaths, severe malnutrition and maternal mortality in Melghat and Dharni. Petitioners told the court that 65 infants aged between newborn and six months have died due to malnutrition between June and November 2025, and that over 220 children remain in the Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) category, half at risk without immediate medical care.

Melghat is home largely to the Korku tribe, among Maharashtra’s most vulnerable communities. The region lies nearly 650 km from Mumbai, with Amravati city, about 100 km away, being the nearest major urban centre. For years, Melghat has been synonymous with chronic child malnutrition, poor road connectivity and severe shortages of trained medical personnel.

‘Deaths shown as pneumonia but caused by acute malnutrition’

The court was informed that, despite repeated orders, officials had not visited the remotest tribal hamlets, many accessible only by broken, non-motorable roads. Petitioners said that while infant deaths were officially attributed to pneumonia or other illnesses, their underlying cause was acute malnutrition, a pattern repeatedly flagged in earlier audits.

Senior advocate Jugalkishor Gilda described a grim reality: deliveries conducted under torchlight, pregnant women developing labour complications while travelling over deeply potholed roads, and lack of doctors, blood transfusion units and basic equipment in primary health centres. Many sanctioned posts remain vacant, with petitioners alleging that some medical staff have not been paid for five years, resulting in more than 60% PHCs functioning without regular doctors.

The petitioners also pointed to data placed before the Assembly, showing that over 10,000 children were identified as malnourished till November 2024, including 1,290 SAM cases in Dharni and 788 in Chikhaldara, both located in the difficult-to-access stretches of Melghat.

‘Don’t take pride in reduced deaths’

When the government lawyer argued that steps by the public health department had reduced infant mortality, the bench rebuked the claim by saying, “Don’t take pride in saying that the death rate has come down. Pride should be taken when it comes down to zero.”

Public health secretary Nipun Vinayak told the court he would visit Melghat immediately and that revised incentive policies for healthcare staff had been submitted to the finance department. The government said an inter-sectoral committee had recently visited tribal areas and would submit a report in December.

Reiterating that the PILs were “not adversarial, but for the betterment of the people”, the bench directed the secretaries of tribal affairs, public health, finance, women and child development, and PWD to undertake a joint visit to Melghat within two weeks. Officials were ordered to fix a meeting by Tuesday to plan concrete steps to strengthen the region’s public health services. The court also instructed the health department to conduct review meetings every four weeks.

BOX: What the HC said

-Govt approach to tribal malnutrition deaths “extremely casual”.

-65 infants have died of malnutrition in five months; 220+ SAM cases remain critical.

-Officials ignored previous court orders and failed to visit remote villages.

-“Don’t take pride in a reduced death rate; pride is when it is zero.”

-Secretaries of key departments must visit Melghat within two weeks and file an action-taken report.

-Department meetings must be held every four weeks.